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Friday, January 7, 2011

Ted Williams, a former radio announcer from Columbus in Ohio, United States, has become a YouTube sensation after a video of the homeless man talking to a local reporter was uploaded onto the website.

In the YouTube video, he can be seen standing on the exit ramp of Interstate 71 at Hudson Street, holding a sign claiming that he has “the god-given gift of a great voice” and that he had “fallen on hard times”, as well as speaking to Doral Chenoweth III from daily newspaper The Columbus Dispatch. Upon being asked to “[s]ay something with that great radio voice”, he replied: “When you’re listening to nothing but the best of oldies, you’re listening to Magic 98.9. Thank you so much. God bless you. Thank you. And we’ll be back with more right after these words.”

In the video, Williams also mentions how “alcohol and drugs and a few other things became a part of my life and I got two years clean and I’m trying hard to get it back.” This video achieved in excess of eleven and a half million YouTube views since the video was uploaded on January 3, 2011. However, the original video has now been removed because of a copyright violation claim made by The Dispatch. Copies of the clip are currently still available to view online.

Subsequently, Williams received interest from companies wishing to offer occupations, including Ohio basketball team Cleveland Cavaliers — who offered a house to him — and NFL Films, according to the Associated Press. Stating that “It’s that voice,” Kevin McLoughlin described: “When I heard him tell his story, I said, ‘That’s what we do. This guy can tell a story.’ Somehow, some way, I need to get a demo with him.” McLoughlin also believed that “[t]he man deserves a second chance”. Kraft Cheese have also made an announcing job offer to him.

When asked about the effect of this YouTube sensation in an interview with CBS News, he exclaimed: “It’s just sensational for one, it’s numbing for another, overwhelming … It’s just amazing. … Well, I’ve already been characterized as Susan Boyle. … I’m just so, so happy. … I had no idea that something like this would have ever happened to me. It was like, almost, winning the Mega Ball lottery. … It’s phenomenal.”

Having attempted to make contact with his mother, aged 92, in New York, Williams met with her for the first time in approximately twenty years in a hotel in New York, New York on Thursday, according to msnbc.com. He greeted his mother by repeatedly saying the words: “Hi, mommy.”

This story has been likened to the occasion when Susan Boyle became a YouTube sensation in 2009 after a video of her audition on ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ was uploaded there. The video was viewed over nine million times within the space of five days.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

At the opening of the criminal trial against New York State Senator Hiram Monserrate on Monday on charges of felony assault, prosecutors explained the motive behind his alleged attack on his girlfriend Karla Giraldo.

During opening arguments in the case, prosecutor Scott Kessler stated that when Monserrate discovered that his girlfriend had the business card of another man, he chose to strike out at her. According to prosecutor Kessler, Monserrate “struck her in a jealous rage”. Monserrate has entered a plea of not guilty to charges he sliced his girlfriend’s face with broken glass during a conflict at their apartment in December 2008.

According to the account given in court by prosecutors, Giraldo asked her boyfriend Monserrate for a glass of water. Prosecutors said that in response, Monserrate stated “You want the water? You want the water? Here’s your water!” – and proceeded to cut her face using the glass. At the hospital, Giraldo reportedly told healthcare workers: “I can’t believe he did this to me. My face! My face!”.

The defense team denied that the injury to the woman by Monserrate was intentional, instead claiming that the incident was “an accident”. Monserrate’s lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, said “What happened was an accident. There were only two people behind those closed doors and they both say it was an accident. You wonder why they even brought this case. It’s nothing more than rank speculation.” In Tacopina’s account of the incident, Monserrate was bringing his girlfriend a glass of water and tripped – and Giraldo woke up and the glass collided into her face. Tacopina characterized her injuries as “a freak accident”.

Kessler asserted that the incident was not an accident on the part of Monserrate. Referring to Monserrate’s emotions at the time of the incident, Kessler said “This case is about power and control. He didn’t just want that card thrown out, he wanted it destroyed.” According to prosecutors in the case, Giraldo originally stated to law enforcement officials that she had been attacked, and said to a nurse at the hospital where she was treated that her boyfriend had cut her face. The injuries to Giraldo’s face necessitated 20 stitches in the area surrounding her left eye. After Giraldo found out that Monserrate would be arrested in the matter, she recanted her statements.

Supreme Court Justice William Erlbaum will judge the case without a jury, as Monserrate waived his right for a trial before his peers. If convicted, Democrat Sen. Monserrate could serve prison time and lose his New York State Senate seat.

The group National Organization for Women has requested that the judge rule Monserrate should be given “the maximum sentence allowable by law”. In an email to supporters, the organization said: “Call or write the Honorable William M. Erlbaum. Send a message that violence against women must be stopped and perpetrators must be brought to justice.” Included was a form letter with the message: “I implore you to do the right thing by punishing Senator Monserrate, giving him the maximum sentence allowable by law. By doing so, you will be sending a very important message and that is that violence against women is a serious crime.”

In response to complaints from Monserrate’s attorney that the group’s actions were inappropriate, the president of the organization in New York Marcia Pappas said “We’re imploring him to do the right thing. I’m sure the judge knows what he needs to do, so his position is not compromised.”

Monserrate is a former city councilman. He became a member of the New York State Senate weeks after the conflict with Giraldo, and was made chair of the committee overseeing consumer affairs. Along with Democrat Pedro Espada Jr., Monserrate started a shift in control of the Senate by aligning with the Republican Party.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

New Zealand have beaten India by ten runs in the Super 8 stage of the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 at Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Black Caps lost opener Lou Vincent in the second over. Brendon McCullum (45) and Peter Fulton added 58 runs together to take New Zealand to 69-1, but four quick wickets fell and they were reduced to 91-5. Jacob Oram (35) and Craig McMillan (44) shared a 73 run partnership as New Zealand pushed towards 190. However four wickets fell in the last over, as Daniel Vettori was bowled by R P Singh and three other batsmen were run out.

India got off to a quick start chasing 191 to win. Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag had reached 76 runs in the sixth over when Sehwag was caught by Scott Styris for 40 runs. Daniel Vettori caught and bowled Robin Uthappa for a duck and had Gambhir caught behind for 51. Mahendra Singh Dhoni was run out for 24 as the Indian batsmen fell, with Vettori taking four wickets for New Zealand. India finished their twenty overs on 180-9, ten runs short of New Zealand’s total.

Toss: India won, and chose to field first.

Fall of wickets: 1-11 (Vincent, 1.6 ov), 2-69 (Fulton, 8.6 ov), 3-86 (McCullum, 10.6 ov), 4-89 (Taylor, 11.5 ov), 5-91 (Styris, 12.4 ov), 6-164 (Oram, 17.6 ov), 7-185 (Vettori, 19.1 ov), 8-189 (Bond, 19.3 ov), 9-190 (McMillan, 19.5 ov), 10-190 (Patel, 19.6 ov)

Fall of wickets: 1-76 (Sehwag, 5.5 ov), 2-77 (Uthappa, 6.3 ov), 3-104 (Gambhir, 10.5 ov), 4-116 (Yuvraj Singh, 12.4 ov), 5-128 (Dhoni, 13.5 ov), 6-146 (Pathan, 16.2 ov), 7-151 (Karthik, 16.6 ov), 8-152 (Agarkar, 17.2 ov), 9-163 (Harbhajan Singh, 18.4 ov)

India: A B Agarkar, M S Dhoni (capt, wkt), G Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh, K D Karthik, I K Pathan, V Sehwag, R P Singh, S Sreesanth, R V Uthappa, Yuvraj Singh

New Zealand: L Vincent, B B McCullum (wkt), P G Fulton, R L Taylor, S B Styris, J D P Oram, C D McMillan, D L Vettori (capt), S E Bond, M R Gillespie, J S Patel

Man of the Match: D L Vettori (New Zealand)

Umpires: M R Benson (England) and N J Llong (England)TV Umpire: D J Harper (Australia)Match Referee: B C Broad (England)Reserve Umpire: K H Hurter (South Africa)

Tuesday, March 29, 2005A team of Australian surgeons yesterday reattached both hands and one foot to 10-year-old Perth boy, Terry Vo, after a brick wall which collapsed during a game of basketball fell on him, severing the limbs. The wall gave way while Terry performed a slam-dunk, during a game at a friend’s birthday party.

The boy was today awake and smiling, still in some pain but in good spirits and expected to make a full recovery, according to plastic surgeon, Mr Robert Love.

“What we have is parts that are very much alive so the reattached limbs are certainly pink, well perfused and are indeed moving,” Mr Love told reporters today.

“The fact that he is moving his fingers, and of course when he wakes up he will move both fingers and toes, is not a surprise,” Mr Love had said yesterday.

“The question is more the sensory return that he will get in the hand itself and the fine movements he will have in the fingers and the toes, and that will come with time, hopefully. We will assess that over the next 18 months to two years.

“I’m sure that he’ll enjoy a game of basketball in the future.”

The weight and force of the collapse, and the sharp brick edges, resulted in the three limbs being cut through about 7cm above the wrists and ankle.

Terry’s father Tan said of his only child, the injuries were terrible, “I was scared to look at him, a horrible thing.”

The hands and foot were placed in an ice-filled Esky and rushed to hospital with the boy, where three teams of medical experts were assembled, and he was given a blood transfusion after experiencing massive blood loss. Eight hours of complex micro-surgery on Saturday night were followed by a further two hours of skin grafts yesterday.

“What he will lose because it was such a large zone of traumatised skin and muscle and so on, he will lose some of the skin so he’ll certainly require lots of further surgery regardless of whether the skin survives,” said Mr Love said today.

The boy was kept unconscious under anaesthetic between the two procedures. In an interview yesterday, Mr Love explained why:

“He could have actually been woken up the next day. Because we were intending to take him back to theatre for a second look, to look at the traumatised skin flaps, to close more of his wounds and to do split skin grafting, it was felt the best thing to do would be to keep him stable and to keep him anaesthetised.”

Professor Wayne Morrison, director of the respected Bernard O’Brien Institute of Microsurgery and head of plastic and hand surgery at Melbourne’s St Vincent’s Hospital, said he believed the operation to be a world first.

Thursday, April 30, 2020

In findings published last month in the journal Current Biology, neuroscientists from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience examined harm aversion in laboratory rats for conspecifics — rats not wanting to hurt other members of the same species — and reported which region of the brain was crucial for it. Wikinews caught up with Dr Christian Keysers and Dr Valeria Gazzola, two of the authors who contributed to the paper.

For the experiment, the rats were put in a container with two levers. The rats were trained to develop a preference for one of the two levers: each delivering one pellet of sucrose. One of the two levers was harder to press.

After developing a preference, the preferred lever was wired to deliver a shock to another rat in a neighbouring compartment, while delivering a single pellet of sucrose. The study showed the actor rat, which pressed the lever tend to switch the lever to avoid shocking the other rat. The rat receiving the shock was called a victim rat.

Aversion of harm to fellow rats was reported to be equal in both male and female rats. If the actor rats were previously exposed to the shocks, their degree of harm aversion for others was heightened, the study revealed.

The investigation reported the rats avoided pressing the preferred lever to shock another rat, even if that lever delivered two sucrose pellets and the no-harm lever delivered only one. However, this was not the case when the rats were given three pellets by the shock lever. Most of the actor rats did not switch when they received three pellets pressing the lever, which also delivered an electric shock. Dr Gazzola called it a “tipping point” and said it was a “cost-benefit” function.

The study also revealed the importance of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) region of the rat’s brain for harm aversion. The scientists tested harm aversion for conspecifics in the rodents after deactivating the ACC using muscimol. Muscimol was injected in the rats belonging to the test group, while saline water was injected to rats in the control group. The observations showed without the active ACC due to muscimol, the active rats in the test group were no longer averse to harming the victim rats, but degree of harm aversion did not drop in the control group rats.

Tuesday, November 1, 2005

Carl-Henric Svanberg, CEO of Ericsson, began a tour of some of Marconi’s European sites this morning, starting at Coventry and moving to Beeston for the afternoon session. Genoa and Backnang will be visited on Wednesday and Thursday.

Mike Parton, CEO of Marconi Corporation, spoke of the ‘good news’ for all stake-holders and introduced Svanberg to a round of applause from the majority of the staff at Coventry New Century Park, while more staff from Coventry New Horizon Park listened on a conference call line.

The purpose of the tour is to communicate to approx. Eighty percent of Marconi’s staff and allow them to ask questions about the asset purchase proposed by Ericsson.